January/February 2001

The current political situation in Ukraine

Kiev, Ukraine-The current political situation in Ukraine is characterized by sharp fighting between two bourgeois clans: that of President Leonid Kuchma and oligarchical Ukrainian monopolists (Alexander Volkov, Grigoriy Surkis, Viktor Pinchuk and so on) vs. Prime Minister Viktor Yuschenko, who represents the interests of American monopolies and their satellites-the IMF/WTO and NATO. It is very important to present for workers and youth a Marxist analysis of these events.

The victory of bourgeois President Leonid Kuchma in the elections of November 1999 clearly demonstrated the weakness of the so-called left camp in Ukraine. Post-Stalinist presidential candidate Petro Simonenko (of the Communist Party of Ukraine, CPU) was unable to unite wide masses of workers and youth in the struggle against the capitalist system. Ukrainian workers correctly don't believe Simonenko's slogan that the Soviet Union was a socialist society. Memories of the gulag, the KGB, Stalinist repressions and the non-effective bureaucratic pseudo-planned economy under the old regime is too fresh in their minds.

Various kinds of Social-Democrats-such as Alexander Moroz (Socialist Party of Ukraine, SPU) and Vasyl Onopenko (Ukrainian Social-Democratic Party, USDP) as well as leaders of the radical populists like Natallya Vitrenko (Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, PSPU)-also weren't supported by the Ukrainian people. As a result of this defeat we encountered the full disintegration and stagnation of the traditional "left" parties.

DIVISIONS IN RULING CLASS

The privatization policy pushed by President Kuchma has been profitable first of all for Russian monopolies. The largest Ukrainian industrial enterprises were owned by Russian monopolies. Western investors weren't permitted to participate in privatization auctions. This has also proved profitable for Ukrainian oligarchic bourgeois groups.

These groups made billions in the oil, gas and transportation sectors. In this way Russian and Ukrainian monopolies became business allies.

Naturally, Western transnational corporations weren't satisfied with this situation. So they succeeded in getting their man-Viktor Yuschenko-to become prime minister. It was the IMF's condition for paying off the latest debt for Ukraine. However, President Kuchma still governs such key ministries as defense, police, and the secret service (formerly run by the KGB).

Yuschenko, now the prime minister, is seen by many as the main candidate for the next president. Local oligarchs and the administration of President Kuchma have their own candidate-Viktor Medvedchuk, vice-speaker of Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament.

Yuschenko's clan began their attacks on Kuchma by accusing him of being involved in the disappearance of Georgiy Gongadze, a famous Internet journalist. They then entered into unexpected agreements with the SPU (led by Moroz), CPU (led by Simonenko), and Ukrainian ultra-fascists from UNA-UNSO (whose leader is Andriy Schkil) and Schit Batkivschiny (Shield of Motherland Party, led by D. Korchinskiy).

The reformists behind Yuschenko have refused to conduct a class analysis of this political camp. They think their main task is to overthrow Kuchma. In this way the reformists have refused to organize a workers' alternative.

DUALITIES IN THE LEFT

The leaders of the SPU and CPU do not permit members of their parties to use red flags and banners in protest actions. The SPU participates in such actions under the official Ukrainian bourgeois blue-yellow flags. Another reformist party-the PSPU, led by Vitrenko and Volodymyr Marchenko-oppose the CPU and SPU and refuse to join in any actions which they are part of, including work with the masses.

Our organization, Ukrainian Workers Group, is the only revolutionary communist group which offers the masses a proletarian alternative. We take part in mass meetings and demonstrations with our own materials and banners. We offer to sharply oppose both bourgeois clans and develop our own proletarian program. Our leaflets also include material about Raya Dunayevskaya's heritage, her theory of the nature of the former Soviet Union and the theory of Marxist humanism. We also include information about News and Letters Committees, which stands on clear Marxist positions.

-Vadym Yevtushok